CONFIDENTIAL
148
150016
MDHIAN 0591
CONFIDENTIAL
FM HANOI
Mko 243/9
нко
TO DESKBY 1314OOZ FCO
TELNO 188
OF 13124OZ APR 89
TOP COPY Ɑ DIST 7
INFO IMMEDIATE UKMIS NEW YORK, UKMIS GENEVA, HONG KONG, WASHONGTON INFO MOSCOW, PEKING,PARIS, BANGKOK, BANDAR SERI BAGAWAN, JAKARTA INFO HMMEDIATE KUALA LUMPUR, MANILA, SINGAPORE
INFO PRIORITY CANBERRA, OTTAWA, DELHI AND TOKYO
MY 2ND IPT: VIETNAMESE BOAT PEOPLE
SUMMARY
1. VIETNAMESE CONCERNED AT INCREASE IN BOAT PEOPLE ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG AND GROWING BURDEN ON HONG KONG GOVERNMENT. RESOLVE TO DO MORE TO STEM DEPARTURES AND ACCELERATE VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION FROM HONG KONG AND OTHER FIRST ASYLUM COUNTRIES. OUR VIEWS REGISTERED ON GROWING NEED FOR URGENCY IN GENEVA PROCESS AND ON MANDATORY REPATRIATION. EXTRORDINARY SUGGESTION BY THACH THAT INVOLUNTARY RETURNEES SHOULD BE PUNISHED ON RETURN TO VIETNAM: STRONGLY REBUTTED. TWO HALF-HEARTED ATTEMPTS TO LINK BOAT PEOPLE ISSUE WITH AID.
DETAIL
2. LORD GLENARTHUR RAISED THE BOAT PEOPLE PROBLEM WITH MUOI, THACH AND LIEM. HE SPOKE IN STRONG TERMS OF THE INTOLERABLE BURDEN IMPOSED BY THE LATEST INCREASE IN ARRIVALS IN HONG KONG, NOW RUNNING AT 120 PERCENT OVER 1988. WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR VIETNAMESE COOPERATION SO FAR, NOTABLY EFFORTS TO DISCOURAGE CLANDESTINE DEPARTURES AND PUNISH THE ORGANIZERS, COOPERATION OVER VOLUNTARY RETURNS, AND AT THE KUALA LUMPUR PREPCON. BUT MUCH MORE NEEDED TO BE DONE, IF MOUNTING INTERNATIONAL IMPATIENCE WAS NOT TO JEOPARDISE PROGRESS TOWARDS A PROPERLY CONSIDERED AND AGREED COMPREHENSIVE PLAN OF ACT- ION. IN THE LONG RUN VIETNAM NEEDED TO CREATE THE CONDITIONS IN WHICH HER PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO STAY. MORE IMMEDIATELY, VIETNAM SHOULD DO MORE TO PUBLICIZE THE FUTILITY OF LEAVING NOW THAT THE ASEAN COUNT- RIES HAD FOLLOWED HONG KONG IN DECIDING TO SCREEN ALL NEW ARRIVALS (SEMI-COLON) TO ACCELERATE THE RETURN OF VOLUNTEERS (SEMI-COLON) AND TO SUBSCRIBE TO AND IMPLMEMENT URGENTLY AND IMAGINATIVELY THE PRINCIPLE IN THE DRAFT CPA THAT ALL THOSE SCREENED OUT AS NON- REFUGEES SHOULD RETURN TO THEIR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN.
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